Page 111 of Of Wind and Terror

Treyton stands in the threshold, his white shirt unbuttoned to show his perfectly sculpted chest and abs, as well as a trickle of pink hair leading down to the waistband of his pants. All of the candles are out, but the blinds are open, allowing natural light to flicker in and illuminate his tousled pink hair.

And… What is that around his neck? It almost looks like a red necklace?—

“Holy Gaia.” Bailey releases a high-pitched screech from beside me. “Is that… Gaia.”

She begins to fan herself yet again, her entire face redder than a tomato.

“Umm…my name is Treyton, not Gaia.” The Spring Prince looks bemused.

I have to bite down on my mounting smirk. “Treyton, meet Bailey, my lady-in-waiting. She’s your biggest fan.”

One of Treyton’s eyebrows arches. “My…fan?”

Bailey all but pushes her way in front of me, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Oh my Gaia. You’re so attractive. I mean, I always knew you would be, but the few glimpses I’ve had of you are nothing compared to this. Not that I obsessively watch you or anything like that. That would be weird. And creepy. And I’m not creepy.”

Bailey reaches for my wrist and grips it tightly. I startle, having not expected the contact. As a general rule, fae don’t touch me, not if they know who I am and what I can do. Perhaps Bailey doesn't know I’m the Death Whisperer, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s touching me.

So trustingly.

So innocently.

For a moment, panic envelops me, and I fear that my gloves won’t work and my power will seep through. Kill her. My heart races erratically, and my skin turns damp with sweat?—

“I’m going to faint. Gaia, help me. I’m going to faint,” Bailey whispers to me, loud enough for Treyton to hear. “Am I dreaming? Pinch me, please.”

Treyton offers the younger fae an indulgent smile. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes, though, which remain shadowed. Dark circles underscore each of them. “It’s nice to meet you, Bailey.”

The sound Bailey releases then? I’ve never heard anything like it before.

“He. Said. My. Name.” She pretends to faint. “I can die a happy fae now.”

“Can you give us a few ticks, Bailey?” I ask the smaller girl with a smile. I then direct my attention to the guard who’s with us. “You too, Mattias?”

Bailey nods, albeit reluctantly, but Mattias looks as if he wants to argue.

He takes a deep, shuddering breath and nods once, but not before throwing Treyton a withering glare. “If anything happens to her, I’ll kill you.”

“Good to know,” Treyton replies dryly, then he steps aside to let me in.

For a moment, my feet don’t move. I remain standing there in the doorway, staring up at him. I don’t want to have this conversation.

But I need to.

Gaia help me, I need to.

I venture a tentative step forward, and the door closes behind us.

Now I’m trapped.

In a room.

With Treyton.

Prince Treyton, who weaponized an already deadly virus.

Prince Treyton, who sought to kill off an entire group of fae.

Prince Treyton, who’s been trying to redeem himself for years now—but hasn’t quite figured out how to do that.

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